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Alternatives for Preliminary Screening: Athens-Atlanta Corridor
1. No Build (required by Federal process):
Existing transportation infrastructure, plus capacity enhancement projects identified in the Transportation Improvement Program. This includes the operations of MARTA, as well as commuter bus service in Cobb and Gwinnett Counties.
2. Transportation System Management Projects (required by Federal process):
Primarily new low-cost non-construction projects to improve traffic operations with existing transportation infrastructure. Projects to be defined after screening completed and could include traffic signal timing improvements, added transit, carpool / vanpool initiatives, etc.
3. Bus Rapid Transit Service:
Express bus service in the Athens-Atlanta corridor providing at least the same level of frequency and points of access and similar fares to those of proposed commuter rail. Buses to use high-occupancy-vehicle lanes built or buildable on SR 316 and I-85 by 2010 or most direct local routing, depending on which is faster.
Seven park and ride lots will be assumed, plus use of the multi-modal centers in Athens and Atlanta, and if ridership warrants, service to secondary travel centers such as Lindbergh, Emory, and Hartsfield.
Park and ride lots:
near SR 316 south of Bogart
near SR 316 south of Winder
near SR 316 east Lawrenceville near Cedars Road / US 29
on Sugarloaf Parkway near SR 316
Pleasant Hill Road near I - 85
south of Lilburn on Hewatt Road near US 78
on Mtn. Industrial Blvd. North of Stone Mountain Freeway (US 78)
Frequency of service will depend on the volumes of passengers forecast to use the service and is expected to be higher than the commuter rail frequency since buses hold fewer people.
4.Commuter Rail on CSX Freight Rail Lines:
Several alternative configurations will be reviewed in response to public suggestions. For all of them, the following would be assumed:
- use of CSX right of way from Athens to Emory Wye
- two trains between Athens and Atlanta and an additional four trains between the Lawrenceville - Dacula area and Atlanta. A total of 7 inbound trains would arrive in Atlanta in am and leave in the pm. One mid-day bus and one evening bus would also operate in each direction.
- conventional service speeds (not exceeding 79 mph).
Stations:
in Athens
Bogart
Winder area
East Lawrenceville area
West Lawrenceville area
near Reagan Parkway
Lilburn area
Tucker area
The alternatives are:
4.1 CSX via Inman Belt and Hulsey Yard to MMPT
From the Emory Wye on the Inman Park Belt to Kirkwood, and past Hulsey Yard to the Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal. Emory area station near the Emory Wye.
4.2 CSX via Emory Campus and Howell Tower to MMPT
From the Emory Wye via Emory campus to Howell Tower and the former W&A Subdivision to the Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal. Emory Campus station.
4.3 CSX via Emory Campus to New Terminal Station
From the Emory Wye via Emory campus to a new station (Armour Station) where the CSX rail line crosses under the Norfolk Southern rail line and the MARTA North Line. Emory Campus station.
5. Commuter Rail using SR 316 and other Rights of Way
Three commuter rail alternatives use SR 316 in different ways. All of them would use the CSX rail line from the Athens terminal to just west of Bogart, where the SR 316 and CSX rail line are close to each other before becoming widely separated.
5.1 CSX / SR 316 / CSX
From Bogart on SR 316 approximately 23 miles to CSX rail freight line near intersection of US 29 and SR 8 on the west near Lawrenceville, then CSX to MMPT.
The eight stations along the line with a terminal station at each end would remain the same as Alternatives 4, except that the line station for Winder would be located on SR 316.
Frequency of service, speeds on CSX lines, and fares would be the same as in Alternatives 4, with higher speeds as the alignment permits on SR 316.
5.2 CSX / SR 316 / I-85 to MMPT
From Athens to Lawrenceville the same as Alternative 5.1, but continuing on the SR 316 corridor to I-85 where it would follow I-85 to the Atlanta Multi-Modal Passenger Terminal. Extensive viaducts and tunnels are likely to be required at various points.
Stations from Lawrenceville west would be at:
east Lawrenceville area (SR 316)
west Lawrenceville area(SR 316 @ Sugarloaf Parkway)
I-85 @ Pleasant Hill Road
I-85 @ Indian Trail Road
I-85 @ Jimmy Carter Boulevard
Frequency of service, speeds on CSX lines, and fares would be the same as in Alternatives 4, with speeds as the alignment permits on SR 316 and I-85.
5.3 CSX / SR 316 / New Alignment to Lilburn / CSX to MMPT
From Bogart a new alignment would diverge southerly between the CSX rail line and US 78 to Reagan Parkway where it would rejoin the CSX rail line into the MMPT.
Stations would be located near the north-south highway routes serving the station sites identified in Alternatives 4.0.
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